Inside The Perimeter

It’s time again for one of my annual retreats. This weekend you’ll find me in Summerville, GA camping in James H. (Sloppy) Floyd State Park. Rumor has it tomorrow I will also be participating in the third annual Twisted Ankle Trail (Half) Marathon. Given that I have not run in months, it is currently still just a rumor. If I do decide to run I will probably set a PR for slowest half marathon.

One thing will be different this year. In past years there has always been a group of Atlanta hashers who go up and camp for the weekend. We’d gather on Friday and Saturday nights grilling out, drinking and commiserating. This year I am contemplating sequestering myself and spending the time collecting my thoughts, reading (who am I kidding?) and venturing out to take photographs.

If nothing else I will be coming home happy on Sunday because I know that Cheerwine is available in Summerville.

With Camping Comes “Camping Pants”
Today I am wearing a hideous pair of jeans that I have dubbed my “camping pants.” This particular pair of pants have seen far better days and are adorned with iron-on patches to cover the holes that I’ve worn in them. However, they fit (a key to my minor-happiness) and I could care less if they were destroyed, that’s all that matters today.

ITP Flickr Pic
Because you are not supposed to take pictures of Marta

I took this picture of Marta.

Good On Ya, REI
With my GorillaPod SLR-Zoom scheduled to arrive at my local REI store on Saturday I was a bit surprised and pleased to hear that it arrived on Wednesday. Last night I headed to REI as a stop-gap between work and Smith’s Olde Bar to pick it up. Sure enough one had been sent there and was waiting for me. What was a bit peculiar was that they seemed to have two on the sales floor as well. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that REI would check the inventory of the store to which the order was being sent before sending it? Eh, either way I have it in my possession and will be putting it through its paces this weekend.

If You Weren’t There, You Missed A Great Show
At Smith’s Olde Bar last night I may have been one of a handful of people who had heard of Stars Of Track And Field, and perhaps the only to have purchased their CD prior to the show. That certainly worked to my benefit as I had my way with the front of the stage and was able to take a shitload of pictures (no results yet, fingers crossed that they turned out the way I wish, and I think that I need to invest in better glass). The boys put on a fantastic show, and after set I was able to thank two of the three musicians in the band (no handshakes of course) for their efforts.

Most people were obviously there to see Joseph Arthur And The Lonely Astronauts. While I had heard a few of their songs, I was far from familiar with Arthur’s catalog. I was right up front for the first handful of songs (as Arthur played a Flying V and then transitioned to a highly-decorated electric-acoustic). However I was shooting with a 50mm lens and being up front meant that I was too close. So, I started wandering around like I owned the joint (and I must say that it was rather fun); we’ll have to see how everything turned out. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Arthur and his band’s set as I wasn’t sure what to expect. I contemplated buying their CD at the show but didn’t feel like dealing with the merch table, so I headed out prior to any encore.

I was home by 11:30pm. If I didn’t need to pack to get out of town today I probably could have stopped in to The EARL and caught last night’s headliner.

The Jackmobile Looks Nekkid
Because I see no sense in riding around with a roof rack that I cannot use I took the rack off the Jackmobile this morning. The car actually looks different to me, much like when someone you know changes their hairstyle. On a positive note, I should get better gas mileage now.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - on the outside looking in
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Joseph Arthur — “Enough To Get Away” (JINX!)
Website Of The Day - Merlin Mann has started yet another blog. I’m link to this for its domain name alone, Kung Fu Grippe, although the content is funny as well.
Exercise (b)Log - I’m saving it up for tomorrow
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Here were the potential titles for this morning.

“Paulie Is An Idiot”
“Stupid Is As Stupid Does”
“Paulie The Alchemist”
“My Teeth Are Fine, My Bike Rack Notsomuch”

Yesterday I brought my bike in to work with the intention of meeting up with my friend Barb so that I could have her husband take a look at it. All things seemed to work out well because I also had a dentist appointment yesterday so I had to drive to work.

I vaguely remembered that my dentist’s office had one of those low-hanging beams used to stop trucks from parking in their lot. When I pulled up I obviously was cognizant of my bike so I slowed down. I noticed that my handle bars hit the bar, but it was mounted with wires so I was able to carefully pull through. However I had forgotten that my seat is positioned must higher than the handlebars. Needless to say at this point, but I didn’t make it. A loud noise came from my roof (one I never wanted hear) as I yanked one corner of my bike rack from the roof of my car. Fuck. Me. I found out that I made (at least) a $78 bad choice as it appears that I destroyed one of the bike rack’s feet and caused some minor damage to the Jackmobile.

Yesterday Paulie The Alchemist turned hiking boots into part for a bike rack. I am a complete idiot. For my next trick…

Living In My Own Bizarro World
Jill correctly led me and the Jackmobile to Barb’s house without incident. Jiven that I call my car the Jackmobile it now seems even more fitting that I’ve chosen the voice of Jill for the gps (get it? Jack and Jill). However, the disturbing part of this naming is that I take Jill’s power plug and insert it into Jack’s receptacle. I know that it has been “a while” for me, but doesn’t that seem backwards?

Welcome to My World…

Tasty China X 3
Tasty China is the type of nondescript name for a Chinese restaurant which sits in a nondescript shopping strip that would make me pass this place ten times out of ten. However, if you find yourself in The Marietta (and my best wishes to you if you do) near Franklin Road and see Tasty China, make all efforts to eat there. Here’s a short list of reasons for doing so…

1) They have no liquor license and they are okay with you bringing in your own alcohol. That’ll save you a chunk of change right there.
2) The woman working there was refreshingly honest. She said they didn’t want a liquor license because it encourages people to hang around and occupy tables on the weekend. She also steered me away from my original entree choice (although I’d still like to try it). And, she admitted that the cook had screwed up and prepared my dish (more about this in a second) with pork instead of beef, and that if that was not okay she’d get me something else.
3) “Spicy and Numbing Beef Roll” — No I didn’t mistype that, it really was numbing. It took me a second to figure out what was going on until I remembered my friend Tony describing the numbing sensation of Schezuan peppercorns before I ingested a pinch a few months ago. This beef roll contains these peppercorns. Yum!
4) #99 — That was the number of the entree I eventually ordered. I think that the description was “Beef with Wild Peppers” (I was drinking wine so I don’t quite remember the description). Even with the “beef” being turned into “pork” (Hey the chef was some kind of alchemist as well!) this dish was fantastic. As best as I can tell it was stir-fried pork with jalapeno pepper strips, seeds and veins included.
5) The portions were large, and since Barb doesn’t eat leftovers I have lunch and dinner already set. Sweet!

Now if I could only get them to relocate inside the perimeter…

ITP Flickr Pic
Also taken on my walk early this week.

I’m pretty sure Betsy (and of course Reese) know where this is, but does anyone else?

Hey Look At Me, I’m Going To A Concert
It seems like it has been forever since I went out to see a show. Tonight I’ll be haunting Smith’s Olde Bar to see the Joseph Aurthur show with Stars Of Track And Field opening.

I am going to bring the camera because with any luck I’ll be able to bring it in without difficulty.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - okay, but nervous about something that I cannot put my finger on
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Joy Division — “She’s Lost Control”
Website Of The Day - I yammered about food so much today I feel I need a food-related site. No problem, today I’ll send you to The Food Guru. I’ve started downloading his two-minute-long video podcasts and they are pretty decent.
Exercise (b)Log - none
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

What could be worse then going to the dentist? Going to the dentist when allergies have kicked your ass. That’s the fun I have scheduled for this morning.

Weary Are The Unlucky Who Have Been Burgled
Have you ever seen something and thought “Oh, that can’t be good.”? Yesterday as I walked down the stairs of the Marta station I saw a Marta police man talking with a woman. As soon as I saw the little driver’s door window smashed to bits I knew that my intuition was correct. I walked to my car and looked for signs of entry, but luckily there were none.

I mention this to remind us all that there are a lot of shit heads in this world. When in city remember the rules of parking in a parking lot. Never, let me repeat that, never leave anything of value in your car and remove anything of value (this includes small change, umbrellas, whatever) from sight as this might entice someone to break in to look for more.

Toll Booth? What Toll Booth?
I drove to work today and for the first time I remembered to bring along the new Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS. (which if you just read that last paragraph you know will always be take with me).

Watching my progress on the active map display was really kind of cool. However, I was more than a little confused that there was no indication of the toll, or even the toll booths which reside on GA400 present on the map. Isn’t the presence of toll roads and the location of their booths important information for drivers? I certainly think it is. I intend on using this device in cities / states / countries that I have never visited previously, I certainly would like to know information like this.

ITP Flickr Pic
Screwing around on the walk to my car two nights ago.

The reason it is angled is because I literally shot this from my hip while walking. I wish that I had captured the entire ‘N’ in “BUTTON”.

The Steps To Better Organization
You are in luck. Below I will outline the steps to being better at organization

1) Put things in order
2) Repeat Step 1 forever

See, it’s just that simple.

I am attempting to practice this again after spending too much time questioning my sanity as I dug through paperwork and electronic paperwork looking for payment history for one of my accounts. I vow to remain organized again…

There is a simple truth about living alone that I always try to remember. That truth is “If I don’t do {it}, {it} will never get done.” In that truth you can substitute any number of chores — laundry, cleaning, bill paying, etc. — for {it}.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - worn out and in a state of minor delirium
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Roscoe — “Midlake”
Website Of The Day - Do you like auctions? Do you like shopping at Goodwill? Then head on over to Shop Goodwill and start placing some bids. All I ask is that you never outbid me. Thanks.
Exercise (b)Log - law (or more correctly dirt) mowing; that was enough
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It sounds like one of those shitty Fox5 News teasers tossed out during sweeps weeks, but I am starting to wonder. I’ve noticed a disturbing trend recently that on the mornings after the days I’ve walked to my car I’ve woken up and my nose started dripping like a crappy faucet. The drippage is then followed by eruptive sneezing. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, coincidentally the mornings after which I did not walk, I had no such problems. I know that there are not enough data points to draw a conclusion (unless I was Fox5 or a politician who wanted to use this data to their benefit), but the trend has started.

Tonight I will avoid my walk and go directly home to do yard work. I’m interested to see if I suffer from the same afflictions tomorrow.

ITP Flickr Pic
All Shrekked up and nowhere to go

This is the picture I snapped yesterday but had no time to transfer from the camera to Flickr until last night.

My Hundred-Picture March
I challenged myself yesterday. And to all that believe I live every day in a challenged state — Bugger Off!

Anyway, yesterday I challenged myself to take at least one hundred pictures. The pictures didn’t have to be of unique subjects, which wouldn’t be hard if I could ever overcome my phobia of taking portraits in public, but I digress… Therefore I allowed myself to take three, four, five, pictures of the same subject in order to play with exposure, depth-of-field, or composition.

I won’t say that I came up with many shots that are going to shake the photography world, but I was pleased with the outcome.

As I exited Marta to start my walk I ran into Jose (Flickr: Ok2Go) waiting for a bus. Now that I think of it I should have taken a picture of him. Dammit, I can be so dense.

Hey Nikon! How About Showing Me Some Love?
Two days ago I heard about two hundred residents in a small South Carolina town each being given (lent?) a Nikon D40.

Yesterday I read that blogger and current Georgia Tech student Paul Stamatiou was given a Nikon D80 as part of a Blogger Outreach Program.

Seriously Nikon, nearly every day I post a picture taken with a Nikon D50 and most-likely a Nikon lens. Some days I curiously ponder how I can make these photos better. Help a brother out. Hit me with a D80, or better yet let me prove how great shots can be with a D50 when equipped with a suite of fancy-pants Nikon Vibration Reduction lenses.

If it helps you make a decision, I will be traveling to Arizona next week and Seattle and Canada later in the summer. So, you probably want to overnight the lenses to me asap. Shoot me an email at the address posted over in the right-hand galley. Okay? Thanks…

Put The WWW Back Into The World Wide Web
Recently there has been a trend to drop the leading “www.” from website names. C’mon people, it’s four fucking keystrokes, three of which are the same letter.

It may seem like all websites start with “www.” therefore there is no need to have these letters, but that would not be true. For instance one of the best ways to go to GMail is to go to https://mail.google.com (btw the “https” means it’s a secure socket so that all transmissions will be encrypted — which is a wonderful thing. Not all websites can do this, but if the data is sensitive you may want to test.).

Just remember, these are addresses on the World Wide Web after all. Meh, nevermind me, I’m just an old man who is resistant to change.

Coming Soon…
I have had a request to add comment tracking so that you don’t have to keep coming back here to see updated comments (and since I make no ad money on this site, what the hell). What a great idea!

I have downloaded a WordPress plugin and will attempt to install such a feature in the next day or so.

CD Pick Of The Week
This is an easy one. Even though I haven’t had the chance to listen to the new Wilco CD (and I may be the only one who hasn’t), I am going to pick their release of “Sky Blue Sky” as my CD Pick Of The Week.

I’d be geeked up to go see Wilco perform again, except that they are playing at Chastain which is a designated “No Paulie Zone.”

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - so so
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Jarvis Cocker — “Fat Children”
Website Of The Day - A few weeks ago I brought you Twitter Vision — a mashup of Twitter and Google Maps. Today I bring you FlickrVision (notice the lack of “www.”, ARGH!) — a mashup of Flickr and Google Maps.
Exercise (b)Log - walking, 4 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

There were a lot more “couldas” and “shouldas” this weekend than I normally care to admit to, but all in all I had a decent time. Priority #1 should have been planning for Arizona next week (yes, I know I have this pesky half-marathon on Saturday that I couldn’t be any less prepared to run, but Arizona is a bigger fish to fry right now), but I never seem to get around to that.

Perhaps it was because I had declared last Friday “Food Day”, I seemed to do a lot of cooking this weekend.

My Air Conditioning Is Officially Not Working
Dammit.

ITP Flickr Pic
Here is one of the meals I prepared…

A fantastic breakfast consisting of a fried egg, sausage, and biscuits.

I’ve been Shreked!
I don’t know why all of the noises last night caught me off guard and kept me up a lot last night. I should feel a lot more secure now that I have an ogre protecting the house.

(picture still in camera)

Apparently a friendly person gifted me the toy from her Happy Meal on Saturday. She placed it discreetly in the corner of my carport and is probably waiting to see how long it took for me to see it. The official answer is “Sunday morning.”

Watching TV Pays Off?
It’s cool when I learn something and am able to use the knowledge nearly immediately. On Sunday morning I watched an episode of America’s Test Kitchen and they were making fish and chips. In the episode they mentioned a technique for par-cooking the chips (potatoes) by microwaving them in oil so that they would fry up quicker. I was able to play with this concept and use it for some potatoes I grilled up Sunday night. It was a smashing success.

Survivor Is Over (Again)
A clean sweep for Earl. The outcome was not surprising, even though Survivor tried to change things up by putting three people into the final voting. I still don’t believe that Dre(amz) was “lying” the entire time. Why he thought that he had a chance of winning a million dollars after double-crossing Yau-Man still baffles me.

I only watched about ten minutes of the “Reunion Show”, those have become less and less interesting to me over the years.

I will be hard-pressed to watch another season of Survivor. I think the format has run its course for me.

Heard On The Train
A woman fielded a cellphone call and was speaking about Mother’s Day…

She ain’t no mother.
If she wants to be a mother she better get a baby.
She needs to start something up to get one.

Sometimes it pays off to shed the headphones and listen to those around you.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - bleh
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Clientele — “Bookshop Casanova” followed by Husker Du — “Makes No Sense At All” (w00t!)
Website Of The Day - You’ve no doubt heard about YouTube by now, but have you heard of Break?
Exercise (b)Log - none, I am a lazy ass
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Except I didn’t make it up to the East Atlanta Farmer’s Market last night as planned. I took a power nap and when I awoke figured it was too late to get anything good. I also heard this morning whilst buying coffee at Joe’s Coffee Shop (sans Ellen) that the selection of vegetables last night wasn’t all that great. I hope it gets better in the future.

Instead I headed into Decatur to play Team Trivia at Raging Burrito. Meet The Hashers did not win, and my dinner consisted of chips, salsa, cheese dip and two Sweetwater 420’s.

A Poem To Start
My ode to better health

Rain, rain please come today
And wash this evil pollen away

Seriously, I am fucking dying here. I have yet another “old girlfriend” story as it relates to allergies, but I won’t bore you with that today.

More Food Podcasts For You To Consume
Recently I mentioned a Gordon Ramsey podcast. This week I’ve spent more time digging around the iTunes store for food-related podcasts. I’ve come up with a small bushel of winners that you might also find interesting.

- Chefs’ Series: This is a set of podcasts recorded at one of those fancy Food & Wine Magazine gatherings. In each episode a celebrity chef (Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Jaqcues Pepin, Jose Andres) prepare one dish. I don’t know how many of these (if any) will arrive in the future, but I think what’s there is worth a watch.

- Gourmet’s Diary Of A Foodie: In this series of videos food and food-related topics are discussed. How clean is “clean”, anyway?

- KCRW’s Good Food: In this series we follow a foodie around as she buys and makes small dishes. You won’t make a great meal from this podcast alone, but it might teach you a tip or two. (btw- KCRW is a great internet radio station — check out all of their podcast offerings)

- Videos From The Culinary Insitute of America: Hey, it’s the CIA. How bad can it be?

- How Food Works: Say it with me, “SCIENCE”!

ITP Flickr Pic
Dinner the other night. It consisted of pan-fried chicken (which was leftover from the Chicken Cordon Bleu on Sunday) with cheese burrito, steamed rice, and a roasted corn and black bean salsa I made from scratch.

The photoshoot didn’t turn out as perfectly as I had imagined. In part because the lighting and composition are still works in progress. And in part because I was so hungry by the time I plated this I just couldn’t wait to eat it.

Playing It Alone
Tonight I’m headed to the theater solo. As you probably have gathered lately, I’ve not been in the most social of moods. So, I decided that I am going to see “Nine Parts of Desire” at the Horizon Theatre by myself.

This weekend I will probably try and hit up the new Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the High Museum, especially if it is raining.

Beer Me! You!
It will come as a shock to most that I will be passing on this year’s East Atlanta Beer Festival. The reasons for my decision are quite clear in my mind
1. I decided I didn’t want to volunteer
2. I don’t want to pay $25 to get in
3. I am not in the mood to drink a lot of beer
4. Too much beer has been bad for my waistline
5. Getting plastered drunk will only piss away Saturday and I have a lot to accomplish this weekend

However, I do hope that the event is a smashing success so that it returns in future years.

This Friday Is Also A Birthday
My buddy Phil, aka Kalabron (Flickr), aka Screams Like A Girl (hashing) is celebrating a birthday. Happy birthday Phil!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - irritated
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing William Shatner — “Common People” (I still love this song!)
Website Of The Day - Have a hankering for that candy you ate as a child but can no longer find in a store? Try Old Time Candy to see if they stock it. You may be surprised. You may find yourself remembering your childhood.
Exercise (b)Log - none, I took a day off
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I wish I could say that I was sneaking out of work today to go down to Turner Field for today’s afternoon game, but I am not. I have always wanted to play hooky down at the old ball park. I have never had the cajones to do so.

Benefits Of My New Commute
Up until today I’ve driven a total of sixty miles this week. Therefore I am far from consuming the $40 worth of gas that I purchased last Friday evening. This pleases me. Of course I paid Marta $13 for a seven-day pass, but that still means that I’ve saved about $20 this week.

Last night I stopped in to George’s and shared a few beers and stories with some friends I hadn’t seen since entering hermit mode recently. It was a good time, and I was proud of myself for passing on offers to get a ride from George’s to my car so that I can finish my walk.

Further, because of my walking I think I’ve found a few new decent places to drag my camera. I need to figure out how to get to these spots when the weather is like it has been recently and the light is golden.

Now if I can only figure out how to make money with this longer commute….

File Under: I’m A Freak, But You Probably Knew That
The other day a friend passed around pictures of her niece who is fewer than two years old. In the picture I could clearly see that the child had her ears pierced. I am really against doing this to children (in fact I had a heated argument with a girlfriend about this practice many years ago). I’m sure the parent thinks “Oh, she’ll eventually get her ears pierced.”, or “Let’s do it now so she’ll never feel the pain.”, or “Won’t she look pretty.” But I think “Why are you imposing your fashion will on the child. What if she doesn’t want pierced ears and now you’ve poked permanent holes in her.” What’s next, taking the infants in for tattoos? Boy Little Johnny sure looks tough running around the play yard with that skull and crossbones tattooed onto his forearm…

ITP Flickr Pic
I just wanted to prove

that I own more than t-shirts.

Food In My Hood
It’s Thursday which during this time of year means that the East Atlanta Village Farmer’s Market will be happening from 4:30pm-dark. I think that I’ll mosey up there tonight to grab some fresh veg for dinner.

I Hear Wilco Will Be On “A Prairie Home Companion This Week”
I guess that’s about all I have to say about this.

Sneak Preview….
Tomorrow’s subject line will be “Friday Is Food Day”, unless of course I change my mind.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - hating the Braves
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Belle & Sebastian — “The Stars Of Track And Field”
Website Of The Day - It may be pie in the sky (now there’s a concept I can sink my teeth into) to live a world without oil, but the people at World Without Oil wants to explore the possibilities.
Exercise (b)Log - walking, 5 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I’ve been trying to curtail extraneous spending. It’s really hard because I am used to buying things that I don’t need, but want nonetheless. If you really know me you know that I rarely spend money on fashionable clothes, jewelry and such, but I do have a weak spot for electronics and music.

I want to return to an old idea of mine that the only thing I want to collect is money.

However Music May Be Stricken From My Buying List
Florida and a few other states are trying to make the resale of used CDs incredibly difficult. According to an article I read yesterday in order to sell CDs the store will be required to fingerprint and get all of the personal information from the seller, and must hold the CDs purchased for thirty days before they can sell them. Additionally, a $10k bond may be required to become a used CD broker.

Me thinks the fucking RIAA has something to do with this.

Listen up assholes…. Make it difficult for people to buy and sell music and people will just steal music. Get off your fucking legislative and litigious high-horses and stop being such dicks. I buy music. I will stop buying music. And I am sure that I am not alone.

Speaking Of Spending…
If you were going to spend money during the next few days at a place that specializes in outdoors things, let’s hypothetically call such a place REI, you should probably try using the coupon code ANNV7 to save 20% on the highest-priced item in your virtual shopping cart. And if you choose to have it shipped to a REI store, you would pay no shipping costs.

I decided to try this last night by purchasing a GorillaPod SLR-Zoom. These are rarely on sale at any retailer so I took this opportunity to create my own sale. It’s supposed to be in a local store in a few weeks.

To The Trained Eye It Means A Lot
Once again I stumbled upon a hash trail while walking.

Apparently last night was the monthly Two-For-Tuesday hash and it ran around the Virginia-Highlands. I must say that I thought the trail was laid strangely. It consisted of with chalk arrows and checks, with no flour to be found. For a second I wasn’t really sure that I had hit a trail.

If your a hasher it’s really second-nature to be looking around when walking, running, or biking. And in this town it’s not unusual to run into trails.

ITP Flickr Pic
This has nothing to do with anything today.

I just like it.

(There was supposed to be a shot of some cool old savings bonds here, but I never got around to taking the shots last night. I know, I’m a slacker. In reality I was too worn out to get around to it.)

Really?
A lot of local blogs have linked to the MTV video piece that highlighted the rising Atlanta local indie music scene. In the piece they highlighted Deerhunter, Snowden, Manchester Orchestra, and The Black Lips, bands whose names should sound familiar if you’ve been reading this blog for a while.

What I found most intriguing is that John Norris is still alive and that he still works at MTV. Huh. I cannot tell you the last time I turned on MTV, but I know that it’s been at least five years, if not ten.

Although I Might Be Spending Extraneously Tonight
I’m contemplating a stop a George’s on my walk tonight. Any of you early-bird hashing types running?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - alone in a crowd
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Robbers On High Street — “The Fatalist”
Website Of The Day - Actor Will Ferrell has jumped onto the video portal scene by introducing Funny Or Die.
Exercise (b)Log - walking, 4 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

On most mornings it’s the sound of loud music played through cheap headphones sounding like a swarm of mosquitoes that bothers me on Marta. This morning it was the cell phone conversation in which a woman asked how someone’s “chill’run” were doing and another woman who had fallen asleep and was snoring loudly, that got the better of me. I wish Marta had a designated “library / quiet” car on which no talking, cellphones, or iPods were allowed.

If Only…
Also in my dream world I meet and date intelligent and beautiful women like C|Net’s Veronica Belmont.

(picture stolen from her Flickr account)

Hey, it’s my dream world. Go get your own!

An Almost Star Studded Walk Home
“Jane Fonda has a big movie premiere tonight.” was the answer I was given when I asked the security guard what was going on. I had to inquire because unlike every other time I walk past the Woodruff Arts Center there were a lot of fancifully-dressed people, tv cameras, and cars pulling up as if it was a red carpet affair in Hollywood. I didn’t see any of the celebrities who were arriving (I really didn’t wait around either), but according to our local fish wrapper celebs and well-to-do people did attend.

I did see a celebrity of the ITP variety later in my walk however. While walking through the Virginia-Highlands I saw one of the dudes from Gringo Star (A Fir Ju Well) walking down the street. I should have stopped him and asked him why two of the six songs on the new CD were reworked post-consumer recycles from previous releases, and why I was charged $10 for a six-song CD when I could have purchased each song individually for $0.99. However I really like the band and am terrible with small talk so I just walked on by. Besides, he might have wanted to shake my hand and you probably know my concern with that…

According to their MySpace page Gringo Star is due to tour Europe starting Friday. So if they are already over there then I am completely wrong and the dude in Gringo Star has a minor-celebrity look-a-like in Atlanta.

Because I Am An Adult
Because I am an adult I can eat a Double Chocolate Crisp (flavor) Power Bar “Nutrition” Bar for breakfast. Because I am trying to lose weight I am okay with this because it contained only 250 Calories (not great calories, but only 250 nonetheless).

ITP Flickr Pic
It could be worse

I could be eating ice cream for breakfast.

What Have You Been Up To?
This is the question I get from my friends and relatives that haven’t seen me recently, and who obviously don’t read this blog.

My usual answer is “Not much.” or “I don’t really know.” My new answer will be “Commuting.” Now that I have incorporated Marta and walking into my (mostly) daily routine my commute has soared to three hours. I takes one hour to commute one way completely via Marta, and roughly and two hours to do the Marta ride combined with a four mile walk (settle down, I’m slow and running is not quite in the picture right now). And that’s on a day that Marta doesn’t have mechanical difficulties…

Throw in the fact that I’ve started cooking again, and there goes at least another waking hour comprised of grocery shopping, cooking, eating, and cleanup.

Add in at least eight hours making money time in the office to support my habits.

Toss in a hour of “personal hygiene” time, and at least one more for hobbies (internet, tv, reading, photography, finances, etc)

And that about sums up my life.

Arizona Dreaming
It’s past time for me to start planning the content that will make up my Arizona trip in a few weeks. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

CD Pick Of The Week
It would have been fitting if Dream Theater had a new CD dropping today; I would have picked it sound unheard (which I believe is the audio equivalent to sight unseen).

Instead I’ll be picking the new release from Maximo Park. I’ve heard but a couple of cuts of the “Our Earthly Pleasures” disc, but I do like what I hear.

You were expecting me to pick the Bjork release? Keep dreaming.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - lost
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Husker Du — “Something I Learned Today”
Website Of The Day - Ever wonder what your dreams meant? Try Dream Moods to see if they can help you figure them out. Hell, it was either that or point you to the home of Dreamland BBQ.
Exercise (b)Log - walking, 4 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Holy shit this is jampacked with goodness. You might just have to split this in two and package some up for tonight.

Who Can Be So Wrong, Yet Gainfully Employed?
Um no, the answer is not Paulie, it’s “weather forecasters.” The amazing amount of rain which was to hit the southeast never really materialized and I canceled my trip to Montgomery, Alabama for no good reason. It could have been worse I suppose. I had conjured a plan which had me flying to New York for the weekend, but when I realized that my brother’s schedule was entirely booked I scrapped that idea too.

I did manage to make the best of it though. Unfortunately I slept through the majority of Friday night, but made up for it on Saturday and Sunday by being mega-productive.

The Real Inconvenient Truth
On Saturday I decided to use my Netflix membership again by watching An Inconvenient Truth, one of the two movies in my possession. Apparently I will have to check Netflix arrivals a little more carefully in the future because I found this minor discrepancy…

Argh! That’s strike one, Netflix.

Instead, I watched Borat on Saturday night. I’ll admit that I enjoyed it, but it did make me feel more than a little uncomfortable at times. I now wish that I had watched more of the interviews with Sacha Baron Cohen when he did the talk show circuit to see how many times he got arrested and accosted while making the film.

Hey Whities, Can We Stop With The Gang Signs Already?
Seriously, I see so many pictures on Flickr of hip white “kids” flashing faux gang signs in order to look hip and cool it’s ridiculous. I’m not the only one who has noticed this either. Go check out this funny music video called “White Girls & Gang Signs” on YouTube.

ITP Flickr Pic
On Saturday night I made a Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole.

It actually tasted much better than it looked. Additionally my sad little point and shoot camera does poorly in the low light of my dining room so the picture is not as tack-sharp as I would like it to be.

Okay, now that’s funny! I recently updated the Flickr Uploader program on my home Mac and didn’t realize that I was up loading Super-Sized images. I used to have the settings on the old version set so that the largest image was 600×800 to make uploading quicker. If you want poster-sized versions of the stuff I uploaded yesterday, now is the time to go grab them.

The Plans They Are A Changing…
That seemed like the theme for this weekend.

On Sunday I thought about doing many things. Hashing was an option (I decided not to do it). Bike riding was an option (that was eliminated when I couldn’t tune up my bike). Photography was an option (I couldn’t think what I wanted to shoot).

So, with the car gassed up with $3 per gallon petrol I decided to knock out as many errands in one trip as possible. Before I headed out I installed the new GPS — yes, I selected Jill’s (which is fitting since I have dated many women whose name started with ‘J’. I’m still missing a Jessica, Judy, Jackie, ….) voice. The first stop was REI where I was planning on purchasing something with the 20% off coupon I received in the mail last week. Jill got perturbed as I refused to follow her directions, but I thought I knew best. Jill really didn’t like me stopping at Performance Bicycle to inquire about a tune-up for my mountain bike first either. After deciding to take my bike back to Atlanta Cycling (which is good because I forgot that I got free tune-ups there since that’s where I bought it) I attempted to go to REI. I guess this sale is more popular than I expected because I could not find a spot to park. Frustrated, I left and headed to Ansley Mall where I found out that Atlanta Cycling has moved (I should have consulted Jill first I suppose). Oh well, back in the car I got and successfully located Atlanta Cycling where they predicted that my bike can’t be ready until Friday. Bummer.

I Told You There Would Be Corned Beef This Weekend
After taking what has become almost a required afternoon nap (have I mentioned how old I feel sometimes?) I headed to Twain’s for the monthly Corned Beef Society meetup.

Damn it was tasty. I washed down the sammich with two of Twain’s microbrews — a Sleepy Conscience ESB and a Mysterious Stranger Brown Ale.

Second Place In The Amazing Race, First Place In My Heart
Well it goes to show you that getting Yielded doesn’t mean that you cannot win.

As you may expect I am pleased that the Charla and Mirna did not win it all. I perceive this perverse pleasure as a shortcoming of my character, but what the hell I am who I am.

I am not completely dissatisfied that Eric and Danielle won, but I guess that it proved that the Blondes were doing the right thing by trying to Yield them. Holy crap Eric’s former teammate (whose name I’ve already forgotten) was fucking freaky. I remember him being strange when he ran the race with Eric, but not this strange.

I like the way that Amazing Race wraps the show up in a hour episode with minimal time spent remembering those who got booted off. (Yeah, I’m talking to you and your hokey “Burn the torches of your fellow companions while reminiscing about what fabulous people they are.”

I’ll have to evaluate my decision to watch another season of Amazing Race is one occurs. This one was supposed to satisfy my need for Rob and Amber watching and failed early on when they were eliminated.

If You Had To Add One More Blog To Your Rotation
Make it Oh Hey There. I have never met Lara, the person whose blog it is, but love it completely. Her latest entry details her alcohol drinking history. Brilliant! I wish I had thought of that idea…. I bet that you’d learn a few things about me you don’t know.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - anti-social
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Idlewild — “No Emotion”
Website Of The Day - Because I am currently reading “The Evolution Of Useful Things…” websites like NOTCOT — for your ideas + aesthetics + amusement strike me as funny.
Exercise (b)Log - (Friday) walking, 4 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta

May Goals
1) Lose two pounds. (starting weight 200 lbs)
2) Exercise at least five days per week.
3) Read two books, specifically
3a) “722 Miles: The Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York”
3b) “The Evolution Of Useful Things…”

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]